Mount St. Dominic Soccer, Volleyball Start the Fall on Fire

Both the Mount St. Dominic girls soccer and girls volleyball team have gotten off on the right foot for the 2025 fall season in both programs winning their first two contests.

Mount St. Dominic's girls soccer team is living up to their top 10 state recognition with dominating performances to start the new season.
The Lions outscored their opponents a combined 10-1 in defeating Montclair (4-1, Sept. 3) and shutting out Millburn (6-0, Sept. 5), both who could be two of the top teams in this season's Essex County Tournament.
Mount St. Dominic head coach Angelo Del Vecchio especially liked how his team defeated Montclair, who won a state sectional title last season.
"Defeating a team like Montclair at any point in the season is a strong indicator of where your program stands," said Del Vecchio. "They’re consistently one of the top teams in the state, well-coached, loaded with talent, and regularly ranked in the top 20."
He added that it was important to begin the 2025 season on a strong note, but there are plenty of matches ahead of them. "Starting the season with a win against them not only boosts confidence but also validates our ability to compete at a high level," added the Lions head coach. "That said, it’s just the beginning. We know we have to keep pushing forward and improving if we want to continue matching up with elite programs like Montclair."
Mount St. Dominic's argument of winning a Super Essex Conference Liberty Division, ECT and state titles is because of the 15 returning players on the 2025 team. They are solid across the field from in goal to defense and up front with scoring.
"Our main goal is to be playing our best soccer going into county and state tournaments," said Del Vecchio. "I feel we have a good chance to go far in counties and states. However, there are a lot of good teams in Essex County and in our group, Non-Public A. Both tournaments will be very competitive."
Including in that large group of returning players are two that were named to the New Jersey Non-Public second team in seniors forward Gianna Camporeale and center-midfield Lena Tusche. Camporeale had 22 goals and 12 assists last season while Tusche pitched in 14 goals and eight assists. "G (Camporeale) is our top scorer and plays with great energy all the time," said Del Vecchio who added about Tusche. "Lena is a great playmaker and one of our top scorers. She plays fantastic defense all over the field."
Tusche already has four goals including a hat trick in the win over Montclair.
Both Camporeale and Tusche were on the SEC Liberty Division first team. Also returning from that All Liberty honors team are junior outside mid/forward Reina Casas, sophomore goalie Isabella Raju, junior outside-mid Sophia Giordano and junior defender Aanya Davitt.
One of the key positions in soccer is in goal and the Lions have a good one in Raju who made 72 saves in 20 games last season that included being part of 11 clean sheets. "Bella is a top goalie and helps direct our defensive schemes," said Del Vecchio.
After Camporeale and Tusche, the top scorers returning are Casas (8 goals) and Giordano (7 goals). Both have a pair of goals each in the early going of '25. "Reina plays with a lot of energy both ends of the field and will be a top scorer for us," said the Mount St. Dominic coach. "Soph (Giordano) has great speed and she uses it all over the field. She will be one of our top scorers."
While in the back, Davitt is one defender that Raju can rely on in front of her. "Aanya is one of our anchors defensively and we depend on her a lot," said the Mount coach.

Volleyball

The Lions girls volleyball team finished with a 13-16 record last season and reached the Non-Public A North semifinals in 2024.
Mount St. Dominic made it 2-for-2 in their first pair of contests this season on consecutive days.
The Lions defeated Montclair Kimberley, 2-1, in the season opener on Sept. 4 at home. Mount St. Dominic dominated the first game, 25-15, before falling to the Cougars, 25-14. The 2025 Lions volleyball team came through with the crucial third game, 25-23, to take the match.
Despite an under .500 mark, Mount St. Dominic reached the Essex County Tournament semi-finals before losing to the eventual champion, Millburn, 2-1. The Lions lost a heartbreaking 25-23 verdict to the Millers in third game to quash Mount St. Dominic's hopes for a county championship. Mount St. Dominic has reached the county tournament semifinals in two of the last three seasons.
Lions head coach Maya Barton likes her squad that includes quality returning players and newcomers to the court.
"We have a great group of younger players who have rounded out our roster," said Barton. "Excited to see how they compete within our division as well."
Coming into the 2025 fall Mount St. Dominic had a good number of returnees on the court led by what is the quarterback of volleyball, the setter in junior Skylar Dang who registered 253 assists last season. Dang is averaging 11 assists in the first two games this season.
"She is a quick setter with a strong serve," said Barton. "She enjoys running a fast offense which will be great for this season."
One player who might have a breakout season is middle blocker Alexci Green. The junior is back after leading Mount St. Dominic with 72 blocks in 2024. After collecting 55 kills last season, the junior has 10 in the first two matches.
"Alexci Green is coming into herself as a strong high jumping middle blocker after a strong club season," said Barton. "We are looking to use her a lot more offensively and hoping to get as many blocks from her a match as we did last season."
Another returning player who could be one of the best defenders in Essex County is junior Luchia Nativo who led the Lions in 2024 in digs with 238. She is also excellent on serves. "Luchia Nativo has made a huge jump in her leadership this season," added Barton. "We are hoping to see her with the libero jersey on leading our team in defense and earning points with service aces."
Senior Ariana Rivera is a leader on the floor as captain and can contribute in several statistical categories. "Leading our group for the third year in a row with her volleyball experience," said Barton. "She’s been a captain since her sophomore year."
Two juniors in Sienna Last and Sarah Critchett are both expected to make major jumps this fall. Last has contributed 10 kills in the first two contests.